Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

[GTX]

The air force must be p!ssed watching how poor the Russian air force has done against Ukraine knowing their front line f22 was cut to 187 copies.

That comment makes no sense.

 

[GTX]

Nice artwork:

 

[Forest Green]

I won't be surprised if Germany has decided to make a large F-35 order as the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused it to triple its defence budget.

The next Finnish defence budget discussions are likely to be very interesting too.

 

[GTX]

 

[starviking]

I won't be surprised if Germany has decided to make a large F-35 order as the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused it to triple its defence budget.

The next Finnish defence budget discussions are likely to be very interesting too.

They take their defense seriously - their decisions and reasoning behind them will definitely be illuminating.

 

[TomcatViP]

Germany to buy 35 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets from U.S. amid Ukraine crisis

Germany will buy 35 U.S. F-35 fighter jets to replace its ageing Tornado, it said on Monday, announcing a first big defence deal since Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a 100-billion-euro upgrade to the military in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

www.reuters.com

 

[timmymagic]

Germany to buy 35 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets from U.S. amid Ukraine crisis

Germany will buy 35 U.S. F-35 fighter jets to replace its ageing Tornado, it said on Monday, announcing a first big defence deal since Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a 100-billion-euro upgrade to the military in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

www.reuters.com

Now very likely that further orders of Typhoon and, potentially, Typhoon ECR will follow as well...

The whole SuperHornet/Growler diversion was foolish in the extreme. I actually see this as beneficial to the FCAS programme, the additional Typhoon orders will keep production lines open and engineering skills intact, Typhoon ECR will help the German's develop top level EW tech for FCAS (although the German's apparently favour the UK's Radar 2 as part of the package). And an FCAS partner nation actually operating an LO platform for a number of years will help with the introduction of FCAS if and when it eventualy emerges...

Likely to be rather good for BAE as well...they get a big chunk of F-35 and Typhoon orders...

 

[helmutkohl]

Germany to buy 35 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets from U.S. amid Ukraine crisis

Germany will buy 35 U.S. F-35 fighter jets to replace its ageing Tornado, it said on Monday, announcing a first big defence deal since Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a 100-billion-euro upgrade to the military in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

www.reuters.com

welcome to the club (source: DCS)

 

[fightingirish]

Hi folks,
this future crest of the Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33 (Tactical Air Force Wing 33, abbreviated as "TaktLwG 33"), inserted with a F-35 silhouette instead of a Tornado silhouette, is not official.
I just made it up with MS Paint.net during my lunch break.

 

[TomcatViP]

It is now official (congrats to Germans) :

"After looking thoroughly into all available options, I decided to initiate the purchase of F-35 aircraft as replacement for the Tornado in the role of nuclear sharing," Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a statement.

“There can be only one answer to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's aggression,” said Gerhartz. “Unity in NATO and a credible deterrent. This in particular means there is no alternative but to choose the F-35.”

Let's notice however that 35 is even a lower count than non( officially) nuclear capable/ non-NATO/ neutral Switzerland...

Germany to buy 35 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets from U.S. amid Ukraine crisis

Germany will buy 35 U.S. F-35 fighter jets to replace its ageing Tornado, it said on Monday, announcing a first big defence deal since Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a 100-billion-euro upgrade to the military in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

www.reuters.com

Germany to buy US-made F-35s to replace aging bombers

Germany says that it will replace some of its aging Tornado bomber jets with U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons

abcnews.go.com

 

[TomS]

It is now official (congrats to Germans) :

"After looking thoroughly into all available options, I decided to initiate the purchase of F-35 aircraft as replacement for the Tornado in the role of nuclear sharing," Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a statement.

Let's notice however that 35 is even a lower count than non( officially) nuclear capable/ NON-NATO/ neutral Switzerland...

Germany to buy 35 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets from U.S. amid Ukraine crisis

Germany will buy 35 U.S. F-35 fighter jets to replace its ageing Tornado, it said on Monday, announcing a first big defence deal since Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a 100-billion-euro upgrade to the military in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

www.reuters.com

Switzerland is acquiring 36 F-35, so only one more. And those 36 aircraft will be the whole of Switzerland's fast jet force, replacing both the 26 soon-to-be retired F-5E and the 25 F/A-18C. Considering that Germany has >140 Typhoon as well, this seems like a really unfair comparison.

Now, I would not be surprised to see a second tranche of F-35 to replace the rest of the Tornado IDS, while Typhoon ECR replaces the Tornado ECR. That would leave FCAS to start replacing Typhoon first.

 

[totoro]

Clearly the 35 figure is there to support the nuclear carriage fleet and perhaps the EW fleet. The rest of tornado planes may/will be replaced by more eurofighters.

 

[TomcatViP]

@TomS : Switzerland is much smaller (roughly 8 times) :

Size of Germany compared to Switzerland

How big is Germany compared to Switzerland? View both areas on a map to see a relative size comparison.

www.mylifeelsewhere.com

 

[TomS]

I'm aware. Further conversation clearly not for this News Only thread.

 

[TomcatViP]

 

[alberchico]

Germany Has Chosen The F-35 As Its Future Nuclear Strike Fighter

After also weighing the options of Eurofighter Typhoon and Super Hornet, the F-35 has been chosen to become Germany's next nuclear strike fighter.

www.thedrive.com

 

[isayyo2]

Just crossed my mind, will Luftwaffe F-35's be armed with Meteor and IRIS-T?

 

[Dragon029]

Meteor will probably get integrated onto their F-35As; IRIS-T we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Maro.Kyo]

Just crossed my mind, will Luftwaffe F-35's be armed with Meteor and IRIS-T?

Meteor probably yes, though I can't tell for sure about the IRIS-T

 

[TomS]

Just crossed my mind, will Luftwaffe F-35's be armed with Meteor and IRIS-T?

Meteor probably yes, though I can't tell for sure about the IRIS-T

Isn't IRIS-T meant to be directly compatible with Sidewinder launchers? Or was that a feature that disappeared later in development?

 

[Dragon029]

Even if it has Universal Armament Interface, etc it'd still need to undergo separation testing, so it'd still have to join the queue of other weapons planned for integration.

 

[rooster]

Even if it has Universal Armament Interface, etc it'd still need to undergo separation testing, so it'd still have to join the queue of other weapons planned for integration.

Meh it should be fairly minimal to integrate meteor and may already be done without being published. What the 35 needs is an internal 9x so it doesn't have to throw away stealth when it needs it. But it can never happen

 

[helmutkohl]

Just crossed my mind, will Luftwaffe F-35's be armed with Meteor and IRIS-T?

I assume ASRAAM has been certified to operate from the F-35?

 

[Dragon029]

Meh it should be fairly minimal to integrate meteor and may already be done without being published.

Meteor has fins that are too large so MBDA have had to develop a variant of the missile with redesigned fins. Just a few weeks ago it was reported that Meteor integration slipped from 2026 to 2027.

I assume ASRAAM has been certified to operate from the F-35?

ASRAAM was cleared for external carriage (on the same outer pylons as AIM-9X) as part of Block 3F's fleet release back in 2018.

 

[helmutkohl]

Meh it should be fairly minimal to integrate meteor and may already be done without being published.

Meteor has fins that are too large so MBDA have had to develop a variant of the missile with redesigned fins. Just a few weeks ago it was reported that Meteor integration slipped from 2026 to 2027.

I assume ASRAAM has been certified to operate from the F-35?

ASRAAM was cleared for external carriage (on the same outer pylons as AIM-9X) as part of Block 3F's fleet release back in 2018.

no internal carriage yet?
it seems slim enough to fit inside the bays

 

[X-39]

‘Our F-35s had at least one close encounter with Chinese J-20 Mighty Dragon Stealth Jets,’ Pacific Air Forces Commander says​

By Dario Leone

Mar 16 2022

US Air Force (USAF) General Kenneth Wilsbach, Commander, Pacific Air Forces, said on Mar. 14, 2022 during a discussion posted on the YouTube channel of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies (see the video below) that US Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters have had at least one encounter with Chinese Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighters, and that the Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft has a key role in long-range air-to-air kill chains.


However, as first noted by Flight Global, Wilsbach did not specify when the F-35/J-20 encounter took place, or if there have been more than one[...]

‘Our F-35s had at least one close encounter with Chinese J-20 Mighty Dragon Stealth Jets,’ Pacific Air Forces Commander says - The Aviation Geek Club

‘Our F-35s had at least one close encounter with Chinese J-20 Mighty Dragon Stealth Jets,’ Pacific Air Forces Commander says

theaviationgeekclub.com

 

[Dragon029]

no internal carriage yet?
it seems slim enough to fit inside the bays

You could probably fit Meteor onto the heavy hardpoints of each weapon bay, but the issue comes from attaching it to the door hardpoints and with staggering / fitting two Meteors in each bay.

As for ASRAAM, it's definitely slim enough, as is AIM-9X, but like the Sidewinder it's a rail-launched weapon and so in order to launch it from an internal bay you need a specialised trapeze launcher that extends the missile out of the bay prior to motor ignition. Other weapons like AMRAAM and Meteor meanwhile are ejected and then have their motors ignite. On the F-22, Sidewinders have their own dedicated bays with specialised launchers for this reason as well.

 

[TomcatViP]

There isn't much use of Meteor'S alleged longer range in a VLO airframe. Who's going to detect and get a solid lock for a missile launch on your F-35 at 100+km?! Let's be realistic, it's not gonna happen for another decade, at least.
Meteors can then be more economically integrated on external carriage fullfiling the Beast mode defensive needs and for missions where it is necessary the aircraft remains visible on radar by all parties (Syria).

Spare yourself the hassle.

My 2 cents

 

[sferrin]

Meh it should be fairly minimal to integrate meteor and may already be done without being published.

Meteor has fins that are too large so MBDA have had to develop a variant of the missile with redesigned fins. Just a few weeks ago it was reported that Meteor integration slipped from 2026 to 2027.

I assume ASRAAM has been certified to operate from the F-35?

ASRAAM was cleared for external carriage (on the same outer pylons as AIM-9X) as part of Block 3F's fleet release back in 2018.

 

[TomcatViP]

Switzerland F-35:

Cette coopération doit désormais "entrer dans une nouvelle ère" avec l'acquisition par la Suisse de 36 avions de combat F-35A, a renchéri Peter Merz alors que l'ombre de l'initiative lancée par une alliance de gauche plane sur l'achat du nouveau jet.

"Cela serait le pire des scénarios. Pas pour moi, mais pour l'ensemble de la Suisse, dont l'espace aérien ne serait plus protégé", a jugé le commandant des Forces aériennes suisses.
--------------//----------------------

This cooperation must now "enter a new era" with the acquisition by Switzerland of 36 F-35A fighter planes, added Peter Merz as the initiative launched by a left-wing alliance cast a shadow over the purchase of the new jet.

"It would be the worst scenario. Not for me, but for the whole of Switzerland, whose airspace would no longer be protected," said the commander of the Swiss Air Force.

Le chef de l'armée de l'air américaine à Payerne sur fond de promotion pour le F-35

Le général Charles Q. Brown Jr., commandant des Forces aériennes américaines, a achevé mardi une visite de trois jours en Suisse. Elle coïncidait avec une campagne de communication de la firme Lockheed Martin, qui produit l'avion de chasse F-35.

www.rts.ch

 

[rooster]

MSN

 

[isayyo2]

MSN

Maybe in relation to the Air Force upgrading 600 of its F-16s?

 

[kitnut617]

So then, it's not so Lockheed can supply Germany and other countries that have just come on board, I understand that the production rate is set to a specific amount ----

 

[GTX]

Push for the Irish fleet...

 

[rooster]

Meh it should be fairly minimal to integrate meteor and may already be done without being published.

Meteor has fins that are too large so MBDA have had to develop a variant of the missile with redesigned fins. Just a few weeks ago it was reported that Meteor integration slipped from 2026 to 2027.

I assume ASRAAM has been certified to operate from the F-35?

ASRAAM was cleared for external carriage (on the same outer pylons as AIM-9X) as part of Block 3F's fleet release back in 2018.

View attachment 675556

Off topic: Are those 2000lb bombs under the wings?

 

[Josh_TN]

I think those are Paveway IV, if so 500lb.

 

[zebra159357]

Full weapons tester report highlights F-35 availability, software problems

"The F-35 did not suddenly become a more reliable aircraft in 2021,” Dan Grazier of the Project on Government Oversight wrote. “It takes extraordinary effort to keep the fleet operating even close to the required levels."

www.defensenews.com

 

[helmutkohl]

no internal carriage yet?
it seems slim enough to fit inside the bays

You could probably fit Meteor onto the heavy hardpoints of each weapon bay, but the issue comes from attaching it to the door hardpoints and with staggering / fitting two Meteors in each bay.

As for ASRAAM, it's definitely slim enough, as is AIM-9X, but like the Sidewinder it's a rail-launched weapon and so in order to launch it from an internal bay you need a specialised trapeze launcher that extends the missile out of the bay prior to motor ignition. Other weapons like AMRAAM and Meteor meanwhile are ejected and then have their motors ignite. On the F-22, Sidewinders have their own dedicated bays with specialised launchers for this reason as well.

how about IRIS-T. is it rail launch only as well?

 

[Pioneer]

Please, remember that we have generally switched toward diode lights. Dedicated Spot lights are then not that as much a necessity as they were before. If it comes to providing light to an intercepted a/c (since most fighters have now much better low vis/night vision system), mostly it will be for general aviation incidents where most probably the landing gear could be lowered with to use of the landing lights.

It is not so much a matter a night vision systems, it is a matter of policing rules for intercepting traffic in peacetime.

The "phare de police" on a Mirage 2000:

I wasn't aware, thanks dan_inbox

Regards
Pioneer

 

[Deltafan]

F-35 Program Stagnated in 2021 but DOD Testing Office Hiding Full Extent of Problem

More than 20 years after Lockheed Martin won the contract for the F-35 program, development has largely stalled, with little real progress having been demonstrated over the past several years. And now there’s even less transparency.

www.pogo.org